Sweet Surprise!

Is this not THE best gift a miniaturist

could receive, the day before Christmas?

Made by a grandfather for his now grown

adult granddaughter, it's in amazing shape.

She has no children and wanted it to go

to someone who would love to work on it!

I'm beyond thrilled to have this sweet

house to create with. A beautiful dream.

I've always dreamed of having a dollhouse

that opened from the front. And now it's here

and so amazing! There are windows in the

back and on the side as well. I can't wait to

start decorating and then furnishing it. But

first a name. Something British, I do believe.

Isn't she so very pretty?

~ Chy

Unexpected Inspiration.

We visited the Antique Mall in the Big
City today. It was quiet ~ a perfect time!

I have this dollhouse. Mine is still very
much a work in progress. I love the trim.

Wow! I could sell mine once it's all

complete. I've never really had a plan

for all my dollhouses, other than the

act of rescuing each and fixing them up!

This one was quite nicely done and has

given me some inspiration to continue.

I love how the trim and the back of the

house has been carefully considered.

Great finishes and the floors are amazing.

Hoping mine will turn out just as nice!

No furniture but a few pieces of porcelain

are included in the price. I'm sure it will sell.

If you're working on your own dollhouse in

the moment, where do you find your inspiration?

This was unexpected for me as it's not often we

find a dollhouse or miniatures at the Antique Mall. 

~ Chy

Blogtober: Day 20.

The next dollhouse I work on will have

these four colors: light pink, cream, sage

green and warm brown. Love how they

meld together in this Victorian. Sweet!

~ Chy

Midweek Musings.

All is well today! We have hot water, thanks to our local plumber and we're starting to get some answers as to why I've been feeling so run down. Supplements to boost up my system, a gluco~meter to ensure my levels stay inline, and more testing over the next few weeks to ensure we've finally ruled out anything and everything. I'm looking forward to testing being done. And for the worry to go away.

I have a version of the dollhouse above. Bought second hand and it's sturdy but needs cosmetic work. The outside is painted a very dark pink, with green windows. I'd like to go for a more muted tone like above. Soft pink, with brown, a warm cream and a pale, sage green. I have a few more things to finish on my gd's dollhouse and then I can start this one. I love the cedar roof and the wallpaper in most of the rooms but will take some down from a few of the other rooms. Always fun to see how others would decorate a dollhouse. I love the reno part, even if it's very, very tedious. 

Work has been busy and many of us are back at home for the next little while. I'm going to go in next week as I've  been home since the 22nd and really need to tackle a few projects and meetings on site. At home works so well, but somethings have to be done in person I'll go in the mornings and my colleague will come in the afternoon so we limit risk. I have loved that the weather has been bitterly cold, and being home in the warm and cozy cottage has helped to get thru this cold snap. A few more days and then next week looks amazing. Fingers crossed the forecast doesn't change.

Tomorrow is our day off but I have a new program starting on Monday and will need to finish up the curriculum for review. Then I can relax on the weekend. We hope with the warm weather to get some of our snow moved down in to the forest so we don't have to worry about where to put any new snow that falls over the Winter. Despite all our space, we're running out of room there's just so much!

I'm off to work on my  new program

And then an early bed tonight. G'nite!

~ Chy

The Arthur.

One of my "in progress" dollhouses.

This one is called "The Arthur" and

I bought it off a lady on the military

base for $10. I've taken out the door,

the windows and the wallpaper inside.

Just trying to figure out if I'll leave it

this shade of yellow or choose a color

that is more bold. It's growing on me

a bit so it may stay. Finishing up the

dollhouse I'm working on for gdd.

Getting there. I hope to get it to her

soon. It's been quite a big, messy job!

~ Chy

Dollhouse Renovation.

I'm almost done my first dollhouse and hope to begin working on this model. I'm going to have to dig around to find a picture of it in its current state. But just imagine quite a bright pink, with green window trim and doors, and a stained deck. Roof is cedar shakes and the inside will need a "refresh" as well. Not quite the look I want but it's what I have to work with. I love the model above with a more subtle hint of pink, with a darker hue, green, ivory and grey. I've kept this photo as my inspiration. We'll see how close I get! I may switch out the burgundy for light green or grey. 

Do you have any projects you're

currently working on this Summer?

~ Chy

Special Project.

The last time our ds and his family were over to the cottage, they brought this slightly beat up old dollhouse for me to work some magic on. It's very solid, handmade and well loved. Our little granddaughter is so excited but it's taking me a bit to get the project completed. I work on it here and there but with a rainy weekend on the horizon, I do hope to get a good chunk of it done. It was brown wood on the outside but she picked pink for the exterior color, so pink it is! I'll replace the opaque windows with some wood ones that I'll paint white. I started the roof shingles this morning and think that I'll paint those a nice brown and add in some green moss. A very special project ~ a true labor of love.

Today was hard and at the same time, lovely. A day off from work after many deaths and deadlines this past week. Other than a quick check of emails before we took kids to school, and a second check at the end of the day, I managed to keep work out of my head today. That made it a good day. When we dropped kids off, we decided to head over to Costco, no line up and we were in and out so quick. Fresh fruit, a beet salad to try at lunch, tuna, ciabatta buns, muffins, yogurt, chicken to package up for the freezer, Olive Garden salad dressing, our favorite nut mix and frozen yogurt bars while the weather is so hot. We rushed home to put everything away and wait for the delivery truck with our 2 loads of dirt. We waited and waited and finally they answered when we kept trying to call. And they showed up at 5:30. Ugh, but at least we have the dirt we need for now. More to come in time. And all day, I felt so nauseated. I think it's a combination of the heat as well as starting back on my supplements to boost my adrenals. Clearly I was low as it's really hit me hard this round. But this too shall pass and then I'll feel good again. That made it a hard day. The predicted thunderstorm showed up, and in between the sun, the rain fell, the wind blew and the sky boomed. It's quiet for now but supposed to start up again. I did weed this morning while waiting for the dirt, so the garden will look great. It's supposed to rain through the night and most of tomorrow. After my kids grief class, we may drive in to town to get more paint brushes for the dollhouse. We'll see what happens when we wake up. Our weather here is unpredictable at best. We just "go with the flow" cause we can't fight it. Hoping that there will be some sun so we can sit outside and enjoy the landscape after the rain. I love the freshness of of it all and the smell of cedar from our deck.

I'm off to finish watching "The Kaminsky

Method." Such a great series. Namaste.

~ Chy

Dollhouse Dilemma.

I find myself struggling with a dollhouse

dilemma. I bought this old dollhouse but a

few of the lovely doors and windows were

missing. The previous owner promised to

find them in her boxes from moving but

at this time, she has not come across them.

I've decided it's time to get this one going,

so I'm scouring the internet looking for

the same ones or something that will do

well as a replacement for all. Wish me luck!

~ Chy

New Project.

Well, it's time to start a new dollhouse project. I still

have some finishing touches to make on the first one

but am itching to do the "big work" right now. Up

in the studio, we have 8 dollhouses in various stages

of progress. Only one we have built ourselves. The

rest have all been "rescues" and the work on some

will be intense. This one had wallpaper that I'm not

crazy about, so the first job is to remove that. Not an

easy task and my fingers are a bit sore today. There

is hockey on our tv agenda tonight, so while every

one else is watching that, I'm going to attempt to

make more progress and get the last bits off. I had

to take all the trim off first and the "flooring" in the

kitchen will be leaving as well. Once all the glue is

gone, then it will be time to paint. I haven't quite

figured out the theme and colors for this dollhouse.

That part will be fun. I'm going to head to a few

sites later to get some inspiration. Wish me luck!

~ Chy

Dollhouse Sorting.

While we're working from home and living each moment,

I'm looking at all the different ways to fill time when we

have gaps. Taking time to rest and eat and work out for

sure as we aim to stay healthy and fit. But there are still

moments where I have energy but work is done for the

day. I've taken apart our art studio to re~organize it in a

better way. Part of that was sorting through the boxes

of dollhouse supplies, both building items and furniture.

I do have more to do but so far, I ended up condensing 8

boxes in to 4. I even had a box of items to donate or sell.

I love the bottom 2 pictures. We picked up that old box

from the charity shop, not knowing how handy it would

be for sorting and keeping small items neatly. Now it will

be easier to outfit each dollhouse as I finish them ~ 1 day!

~ Chy

New Mattress.

I discovered by accident a local artisan who makes

miniature bedding and linens. And I ordered ....

.... this sweet little mattress for the iron bed I have

on order for one of the dollhouses. I love the details

and even the way she packaged and sent this along,

with an extra gift and the card she makes for each

order. I have her listed now as one of my favorite

stores to shop from. I so love talented miniaturists!

~ Chy

Project Update.

Our tiny bakery is starting to develop

it's personality. The door is now black

and the exterior walls are now a sage

green. White trim around the windows.

Still have to decide what kind of floor

to put down. I'm leaning towards a nice

scrapped wood floor but have to google

to see how to do it well. Research is so

much fun ~ I get so many great ideas.

Wish I could do them all. I know one

day we'll have more time but for now,

I carve out time once my work day is

done and do as much as I can when I

can. It works. No time limit. All good.

~ Chy

Winter Project.

We've started on a Winter Project for
those nights where we have no plans.

A sweet little box to turn in to a tiny

bakery ~ all in miniature of course.

It started out brown and white but

we've now painted the outside a

lovely shade of green, with white

and black trim, including the door.

Do you have any Winter Projects?

Are you a dollhouse collector?

~ Chy

New Project.

Honestly, I wasn't looking for

another dollhouse to fix up.

But this one literally appeared

in my inbox and in my face.

A mama who bought it to create

for a future little daughter ....

.... but she ended up with all boys.

So now it's in my hands to renovate.

I have no plans just yet but so

excited to have another project.

A $240 dollhosue (I'm told) for

a sweet $40, furniture included!

What do you think of my new project?

What color would you paint the outside?

~ Chy

Dollhouse Update.

I've been slowly working on the dollhouse.

Choosing, cutting and installing wallpaper.

Painted walls, freshly installed wallpaper

and the little carpet I found at the Fall

Dollhouse Show. Trim will be next but

I think I'll wait until I finish off painting

and wallpapering each room, and then

flooring, which I still need to figure out.

~ Chy

Dollhouse Update.

A little dollhouse update, inspired by

our recent trek to the Dollhouse Show.

At the show, I found the perfect wallpaper

for the living room ~ a pretty shade of blue.

And then remembered I had found this

paper for the kitchen at last year's show.

Time to put it up before doing the living

room. And now to decide what color to

paint the opposite two walls now that the

paper is successfully installed. Any ideas?